


A Case for Death

by Highlander_II



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Case Fic, Community: spook_me, Danger, Gen, Spider Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 02:22:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8471881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highlander_II/pseuds/Highlander_II
Summary: Harry's new client needs him to get something back.  Seems simple enough, until Harry finds out who has it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story fits in somewhere between _Grave Peril_ and _Summer Knight_. (It is also super late being posted to this challenge b/c Disney World ate my life for a week and this fic took on a life of its own.)
> 
> beta'd by the fantabulous Raine_Wynd

Sometimes clients ask to meet in strange locations. I don't usually mind, and most of them are pretty reasonable. But this one was a little different. Sure, I had another client that I typically met out in the woods, just not normally at sundown.

But, this was a new client. And I needed the cash. I left word with a friend where I was going and how long I'd be gone. She'd wanted to come with me, but I convinced her I'd be okay. If I had told her the client insisted I come alone, she wouldn't have let me out of her sight. Her instincts are pretty solid, but she doesn't know the supernatural world the way I do.

So, into the darkening woods I went. At dusk. I followed the directions I'd been given until I found the small clearing with the fallen log. I took a look around, then found a sturdy tree to lean against to wait. It's not prudent to expose one's back to the unknown.

I hadn't thought I was too early, but it was at least ten minutes before I heard something approaching. A figure stepped from the shadows of the trees and seemed to bring them along. I pushed away from my leaning post as the dark figure, mounted on a dark stag, fully emerged from the dense trees. The few bits of sunlight left that dripped through the leaves seemed to disappear as they neared the figure's black robes.

A cold chill passed through my body. Between the vast darkness, the swirling robes, and the hourglass, I'd figured out that my new client was the freaking Grim Reaper. Even from here on the ground, I could tell he was tall. And that's not including the giant stag he was sitting on.

"You know," I began, "I have to admit this makes me really nervous." Don't let the bad guys know you're scared of them, but also make sure you let them know you respect the hell out of their power if they have it.

There was a cold chuckle from the darkness of his hood. "The hourglass isn't for you, wizard. It isn't your time."

"That's good to know. I'd ask when mine is, but I get the feeling you wouldn't tell me."

The figure shook his head. "I cannot tell you. It is impossible."

"Wait, you're the master of death and you don't know when I'm going to shuffle off this mortal coil?"

A cold blue flame erupted around the figure and his steed. It made me take a couple steps back. "You should mind your manners, mage," he growled.

I held up my hands and bowed my head. "Apologies. I didn't mean to offend." Sometimes I should learn to keep my damned mouth shut. "You requested a meeting."

"I did, wizard. I wish to procure your services. Though, had you not remembered your manners, I would have taken my business elsewhere."

I nodded acknowledgement. He could still take his business elsewhere. He should also be scaring the crap out of me, but, for some reason, he isn't. I mean, it's the Grim Reaper. He's not a happy-fluffy guy. But there was something oddly peaceful about his presence. "How can I help you… uh… what do I call you?"

"I've had many names through the centuries and appeared in many forms. What name would be least uncomfortable for you?"

"Can I just call you 'Grim'?"

"Certainly," he replied with a bow of his head.

"So, Grim, what can I do for you?" Which is not something I ever thought I'd be saying.

"I need you to retrieve something of mine," the Reaper said smoothly as he dismounted the stag with a smoothness and grace I've only ever seen from the Fae. Not that I would ever think the Grim Reaper a member of either court. Though, he's probably on good terms with Mab.

He stood at least a foot taller than me now that he was on the ground. Impressive given I could play for the NBA if I had any talent for basketball. I'll admit, it was even more intimidating than seeing him sitting on the stag.

"Retrieve?" I asked. I don't understand why he would be elusive about what he wanted me to find. He was wanting to hire me, after all.

"Yes. Hikari has something of mine. And I'd like it back."

"Whoa!" I said. Had I just heard that correctly? "Hikari – as in the Spider Queen?" I asked for clarification.

Grim nodded once; difficult to see except the slight movement of the cowl.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"Is there a problem?"

A problem? No, no problem. Hikari is just a little cranky that I was able to escape her 'web' the last time we met. So, no, no problem. She just wants to use me for her own personal plaything. Not unlike Mab, actually.

"No. But if you have any suggestions for getting it back without me having to talk to her, that'd be great."

Grim laughed that dark chilling laugh again. "Were it that easy, Mr. Dresden, I wouldn't need a wizard."

"So, hold on. Why can't _you_ do it? Why do you need someone else to go get it for you?"

I swear I saw a smile deep in the shadows of his cowl. One of those wicked smiles that lets you know you've just asked a boneheaded question. I hated it when people did that. "She and I do not speak. It is a long-standing arrangement between us. We do not speak of it." Which wasn't the whole story, but I felt it wasn't in my best interests to press the issue.

"So, you two don't like each other?"

"Quite the contrary. We get along very well."

I scratched an itch over my eyebrow while I pondered that a moment. "If you tell me you're married…"

"No, wizard. Not that," he said with another laugh, this one warmer. "Though we are close."

"Okay, not married; know each other well. Good info. But, don't you think it would be useful to tell me what it is you want me to get back?"

"Hikari will know what it is when you get there."

"Look, Grim, I mean no disrespect when I tell you this, but this goes much faster if you give me the information I need."

"I have given you all that you need." He paused and I swear he tipped his head. "You are a private investigator. Investigate." The Reaper turned and mounted his steed, dark cloak swirling and blending with the shadows. "Dresden, one last thing – bring with you a gift when you meet with Hikari." Then he melted into the darkness and was gone.

As I turned to stumble my way back through the dark woods, I heard a voice call my name. I turned to see Grim standing there again in the clearing.

"Two days, mage."

"I assume that's a timeline… " I said as the bastard melted away again.

Great. I had to talk to the Spider Queen without getting caught, retrieve this mystery item, and get it back to the Grim Reaper within two days. No pressure.

* * *

I stopped by Burger King on the way home to have a Whopper and do a little thinking. I still had no idea what I was looking for. I needed some type of gift for the Spider Queen, and I had only two days. Why are these things never easy?

First, I needed to figure out how to get to the Spider Queen without incurring the wrath of her Spider Guard. I decided to work on that.

"Bob," I called as I climbed down to the sub-basement lab. "Bob, wake up. Time to get to work."

"I _am_ awake," he grumbled, "but it was getting to the good part."

"Sorry, Bob. You can get back to your book once we're done." I found a notebook and a sharpened pencil and took a seat on the stool at the workbench.

"So, what are we battling this week? Anything new and exciting?"

"Not battling. Retrieving."

"Oh. Do I need to make sure you get a walk and a flea collar too?"

I glared at the skull. "Har har. No, the Grim Reaper needs me to get something back for him and I need to know how to do it without getting taken hostage."

" _The_ Grim Reaper?" Bob asked, almost excited about it.

"Yeah."

"Harry –" he drawled, "this is _big_."

"Who are you, the president of his fan club?"

Bob snorted. "Look, Harry, the Grim Reaper doesn't just ask people to do things. He can usually manage just fine on his own. He's pretty badass. There's a reason he doesn't have lackeys – he doesn't need them."

"Okay," I jotted some of this down, "but what does that have to do with my case?"

"Harry, there's only one thing the Reaper can't 'retrieve' without help."

"What?"

"His scythe."

Shit. "What the hell am I going to do with the Grim Reaper's freakin' scythe?"

"Uh, preferably nothing," Bob said seriously. I could have sworn I even heard him gulp. "That's some powerful magic, Harry."

"Well, I'd think so, since it can kill."

"No, because it can do worse. Harry, the scythe isn't used for killing. The Reaper doesn't take lives. He takes _souls_. If the wrong person – or being – gets that scythe, some important souls could be lost forever."

"How?"

"Nobody knows. See, the Reaper is surrounded by a lot of fear in a number of cultures. But he's not a bad guy. People are just overdramatic. He does have powerful magic though. Souls are important. And it's his job to transport them to the right place. If something – or someone – gets in the way of that, things could get ugly. It unsettles the balance –"

"Like Winter and Summer…" I said.

"Something like that. Only way more important in the afterlife than here."

"Wait – there really _is_ an afterlife?"

Bob sighed. "Of course. Anything that happens post-death is _after_ life."

"Smartass."

"Not this time. What the afterlife is is different for different cultures. Even for different people. What you believe is what you believe. And those beliefs determine which version of the Grim Reaper you see or know."

I rubbed at my temples. "Bob, you're giving me a headache."

"Sorry, boss, but you asked."

I had. I glanced up at the skull. "So, what does the Reaper look like to you?"

"Uh, well, he kind of doesn't. Death doesn't really work the same way for beings of the NeverNever. And since I don't have a soul, there's nothing for him to come for."

"I guess that makes sense." I jotted down a few more notes.

"Look, Harry, don't get too hung up on it. But you really should find that scythe."

"Right," I said. "Any ideas for how to get it back without getting myself snared permanently?"

"Well," Bob began, "that depends on where you have to get it back from."

"Hikari apparently has it," I said.

The eyelights flared. "Nope. You're on your own, Harry."

"What? What's wrong, Bob?"

"Pretty much – you're screwed." Then the eyelights winked out and it was eerily quiet in the lab.

I blinked at the bleached, white skull. "There's nothing you can tell me, Bob?"

Cold silence.

"Come on, Bob. The last time I faced the Spider Queen, it didn't go well. I need something to give me an edge."

More cold silence. I think I actually got a chill.

"Dammit, Bob! You know if she keeps me, you'll never get out again."

The eyelights flickered on long enough for him to spit, "I can live with that." Then they went out again.

"Bob," I growled, "I only have two days to do this. I need your help."

"It'll cost you."

"Fine. What?"

"A ride-along."

"No."

"A day out then. Sunset to sunrise. No restrictions."

I didn't want to do it, but I needed whatever information he could give me. "Fine. The day after I finish this case."

"Deal," he agreed. "Now, what do you need to know?"

* * *

The entrance to Hikari's lair hadn't changed since the last time I was here. Granted, I didn't see the entrance until I was leaving, but that doesn't change the fact that it was a creepy spider web. I think it was supposed to be like a door or an early warning system. It was definitely a trap – from either side.

"Mmmm, mortal," one of the spider guards rasped at me. "You're lucky she's expecting you."

That's way too easy. I get to just walk in? I suppose me being unarmed puts them at the advantage. (Apparently it's rude to walk into the Spider Queen's house armed to the teeth. I had to leave my staff and blasting rod in the car.) "How did she know I was coming?"

"She was told, mortal," the spider said. Then it asked, "Did you bring an offering?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Give it to me and I will make sure Hikari gets it on your behalf."

I laughed at the spider guard. "Because I'm stupid enough to fall for that? Open the door, bug eyes."

The spider guard reared back like it planned to pounce on me. I flinched and pushed power into my shield bracelet, until I heard it chitter something that apparently meant for the other guards to part the web-door so I could enter. "Watch yourself, mortal," the guard rasped in warning as I stepped through.

This still seemed too easy. Giant spiders hating me, notwithstanding, something felt off about getting in without a fight. Or I'm really paranoid from working with the Fae for so long.

The gift, though, was sort of like an admission ticket for an audience with Hikari. The last time I encountered her was by accident, so I hadn't brought a gift. She had asked for one anyway and I was lucky to have a plastic film canister of newt eyes in my pocket. It wasn't the best gift, but she'd clearly been amused by the fact that I had them on hand. As steep a price as it was (newt eyes aren't cheap), it was worth it not to become a permanent resident of _chez_ Hikari.

"Dresden," Hikari said as I stepped up to the door. Her voice was a slippery and quiet sound. "You've come back to me." She sounded far more pleased than I thought she should be about that. She rose from a large cushion settled on a bier against one wall and her long, slender legs immediately drew my attention as the fabric of her dress fell back into place. From what Bob told me, she's a Jorōgumo. And according to Japanese legends, a dangerous spider creature that takes the form of a beautiful woman to lure prey into her web.

She was definitely beautiful, pale skin and dark hair, and she moved with a smoothness that was surely other than human. Terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. I kept my wits and got my hormones under control as I said, "I come with a gift for your court, Hikari." I held up the large sachet of the tastiest treats by spider standards. Luckily crickets are readily available at the local pet store. I also brought her several hundred pages of fresh parchment. Apparently, Hikari really likes the stuff. And at Bob's suggestion, I included several inks made 'the old way' – not machine manufactured – and those seem to have pleased her as well.

The spider queen grinned at me and it was the most spine-chilling grin I'd ever seen. Marcone's icy gaze had nothing on Hikari. "Your manners are excellent, Mr. Dresden."

"It's rude to visit without bringing a gift," I said.

"It is. And this is much better than the last gift," she almost cooed. She handed the items off to a handmaiden, then she turned to me, face serious. "Now, Mr. Dresden, what is it I can do for you?"

"Well, I've been sent here by a mutual friend to retrieve something of his," I stated plainly. Being straight with her was likely to garner better results than being obtuse.

Hikari blinked her eyes once, slowly. Which would be a lot stranger, I would imagine, if she were in her spider form. Her legs shifted and I planted my feet in preparation for a hasty exit. "What is it you have been sent for, wizard?" She didn't look pleased. At all.

"I'm looking for a scythe. Maybe you've seen it around. It's probably about as tall as I am, large curved blade on the end."

Hikari lunged forward and was immediately in front of me. Her left hand curled around my throat before I'd even realized she had moved. Damn. I had no idea spiders – even supernatural ones – were that fast.

"Why does the Angel of Death not retrieve it himself?" she growled in my face.

I tried to swallow and get enough air to respond, but my voice still came out as a hoarse rasp. "Maybe he's busy." No one said I was smart in dangerous situations. Her hand tightened on my throat. Under much different circumstances, this might garner a more primal reaction. As it was, I just wanted her to let go so I could breathe.

"What would he do if I killed his errand boy right now?" Hikari asked me.

For a terrifyingly long moment, I thought I was going to pass out. Given my situation, that would have been a terrible idea. But, she loosened her grip enough to let me speak.

"Send someone else," I eked out when she gave me the chance.

"Would he? The coward," she spat and I felt droplets on my cheek and neck. Cold at first, then a sort of sizzling warmth that turned to pain. I tried not to flinch.

"And if I let you have it? What then, Dresden? What do I get in trade?"

"Well," I began, suddenly able to breathe a bit more freely. I glanced at her and found she'd taken her hand from my throat. "Did he give it to you, or did you – acquired it by other means?"

She turned, snarling at me. "Are you accusing me of stealing it?"

"Not at all," I said. "You could have gotten it from someone else who _did_ steal it, without stealing it yourself."

"I didn't steal from the Angel," she snapped. And I'm pretty sure I heard her voice crack there at the end.

"I didn't think you had." I paused a moment as I realized what she really wanted to know. She was far less irate at the idea of _me_ thinking she'd stolen the scythe than she was that someone else - someone specific - thought she'd stolen it. "And neither does he," I told her honestly.

Her eyes sparkled a bit at hearing that, though she tried to hide it. I don't know what that was about, but Grim had said they were close. Maybe it wasn't as mutual as it had seemed when I was talking to Grim.

"You still haven't told me what I get in return for relinquishing the scythe," she said quietly.

She was still concealing something. "What do you want?" I asked her. I don't know if it was a good idea, but it seemed okay at the time.

Hikari turned to face me in a smooth, languid movement that set my insides on fire. "Well, since you asked," she purred. "I could trade it for you." A slender finger traced down the center of my chest.

"Uh, you could, but I'm not currently available." That wasn't a lie. Someone else already had dibs. Spider lady would have to get in line.

Hikari pouted at me. "What else could I accept in trade?" she asked. It was definitely rhetorical. Hell, even if it wasn't, I knew better than to answer. This time. "I'm sure there is something you could offer me," she purred again. As she did, her hand skimmed slowly down my chest. I knew where she was going. Not in the same mindless way that I would if she were a faerie – that's the sort of whammy that's tough to get out of if you don't know how – this just felt really, really good.

She had tried something similar the last time I was here – when I fell straight into her lair from the NeverNever. I didn't let her get me then either. As her hand got closer to my crotch, I reached to circle my fingers around her slender wrist. Gently, I pulled her hand away.

"Sorry, Hikari, but that's not on the table either." I mean, if I was interested in being a sex slave or dinner, it would be a very appealing prospect. But I know what the Jorōgumo does. By myth and legend, if not by direct testimony.

She pouted at me again. "Why do you thwart me so?"

I almost answered, but fell silent when someone else entered the room. Hikari stepped away from me to speak to the shadowed figure. I tried to make out what they were saying, or even who this new person was, but their voices were too hushed and the shadows fell just right. Clearly, the conversation was important; they spoke quickly, possibly with some sort of shorthand.

When Hikari returned, she was smiling. Smiling bad guys is rarely a good thing. It usually means trouble.

"Dresden, it seems that someone has stepped in on your behalf. So, I will give you the scythe…"

"What's the catch?" I asked. I also wanted to know who had vouched for me on the trade angle. That seemed like an ominous debt to have to pay later.

"The catch is that to get out, you must face The Trials."

"What the hell are The Trials?" I really shouldn't have asked that. I should know better by now.

Hikari grinned again. Only this time, it was a lot more terrifying. She pointed to a darkened doorway to her right. "The Trials are through there."

That's not so much a 'what' as a 'where', but it wouldn't do to be pedantic when facing certain death, now would it?

"Tomo will have the scythe for you once you complete all eight trials," Hikari said. "While you wait for the hall to be prepared, the rules: You may have no outside assistance on your quest. And failure traps you here with me forever. Simple."

Sure, simple. And of course there are eight trials to escape a spider prison. I'm charging extra for this.

* * *

The first five of the trials were fairly simple – answer three questions, get past the danger swinging at your head, test your fear of heights by crossing the narrowest rope bridge ever built, things like that. But the sixth was a bit more daunting. It was another danger maze, but more complicated. Like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. I'm not too proud to admit that I checked behind me for a large boulder.

No boulder, but some ominous sharp, pointy things. They looked a bit like oversized spears with dark reddish-brown stains on the blades. I gave the room a thorough look. I didn't dare Look at it. I didn't want to see what lurked in here. Or died in here.

There were plates in the floor. They blended in well with the stones. (Very Indiana Jones here.) I tossed a hefty rock onto one of the plates. It hit square in the center and, for a breath, nothing happened. Then one of the spears rattled and shot forward. It embedded in the opposite stone wall. So, the next step was to avoid the floor plates.

The first step went just fine. No spear embedded in Harry Dresden. Then I took another step. I heard a rattle and a creak and looked up in time to see a large axe falling toward my head. I dove forward, away from the axe, and directly onto one of the damned floor plates.

I heard the axe find purchase in the stone floor behind me. And I listened for the spear rattling, but heard nothing. The plate under my foot didn't seem to activate anything. So I put my other foot onto a clear bit of stone and pressed down. A nearby spear rattled and shot across the room. I was expecting it, so I'd leaned back to avoid the thing slicing through me. That was going to make this a lot harder than I'd expected. Indy had it easy.

This became a game of step-Listen. And it worked until I felt a hot, sharp pain in my right arm. One of the spears had a slightly different trajectory and had skidded across my arm, slicing through my duster and biting into the skin beneath it.

I touched fingers to the gash. They came away coated in blood. Great. I held my hand over the cut long enough to stop most of the bleeding. My arm still hurt, but maybe I wouldn't bleed out.

That was about the time I noticed the utter lack of unsuccessful adventurers. There were no bodies or scraps of bodies in the maze at all. Apparently Hikari kept her trial obstacles clear of debris and victims. How tidy.

I closed my eyes a moment, pushing back the throbbing pain in my arm. I needed to concentrate on getting through this challenge without further injury.

It was dodgy, but I made it across the rest of the floor plates. I didn't even earn myself more scrapes or scratches. I was starting to think someone didn't like me. Then I stepped into Trial number seven.

I don't know what the damned thing was, but it was huge. And slimy. And shaped like a pile of mud with arms and legs. I would have been more comfortable with my staff and blasting rod on hand. Damned paranoid bad guys. 

The mud monster lumbered forward and began to speak. The only word I managed to remotely understand was 'human'. I don't know if that meant it didn't recognize me as a wizard or if I hadn't understood enough of its rumbling.

"Hey, big guy. So, maybe we can settle this peacefully, huh?" I asked. It was worth a shot. I mean, why fight if you can talk your way out?

The mud thing grunted and lumbered forward again. I guess it didn't want to talk. It grunted again. Then spoke in a deep, gurgling voice, "Human, we will not be talking. We are to fight."

At least I understood it this time. I didn't love the words, but I understood them. "Sure. But why?" I asked. "Why are we fighting?"

"Because I am compelled," it gurgled back.

"Compelled by what?"

"My sentence."

"Wait – you're a prisoner here?"

The mud creature nodded.

"Should I ask what you did?"

"I incurred a debt to the Queen." Hearing a mud creature gurgle the word 'incurred' is not something I care to hear again.

"So, you fight people to pay off your debt?"

"The Queen has ordered it."

I grunted. "That sucks. How much do you have left?"

"Many years. The value of one life."

It was going to be here a while if that was the case. That didn't mean I had to stop talking. "How long have you already been here?"

The mud shifted like muscles rippling. "More than one hundred of your human years."

"That's a long time. Any chance of getting out early?"

"Yes," it said. "If one were to take my place. Do you offer?"

"Sorry, Muddy. No."

"Then we must fight."

Of course we must. "One question – is this a fight to the death, or to like twenty points, or TKO or what?"

"We fight until you die, human."

"What makes you think I can't kill you?"

"Experience," Muddy said flatly.

Right. Over a hundred years. This was going to suck. It's a good thing I'm used to being outclassed.

Muddy lunged at me. I had to duck to avoid being clocked by a large, muddy arm. It was faster than I expected for as big as it was.

I knew better than to charge in fists blazing, but I didn't have much else in the way of weaponry available. I had my shield bracelet and my half-charged force rings, but that wouldn't be nearly enough. Not in a fight like this.

 _Okay, Harry, pull yourself together and look at what you have to work with._ I took as slow and deep a breath as I dared while moving around and away from Muddy. On one side of the room, beyond the mud creature, I spotted something that looked like a quarter staff laying on the stone floor. If I could get to it, at least I'd have a weapon. Not as good as my wizard's staff, but a long, sturdy piece of wood is still solid and heavy enough to hurt something when you smash it into its head. 

"So, why are we doing this again?" I asked Muddy as I dodged a bit. I was trying to cross the room without looking like that was what I was doing while we talked.

"Because I am compelled," Muddy responded and swung another slimy arm at me. I wasn't sure if it was screwing with me and trying to wear me down, or if I really was fast enough with my dodging.

"Right. You mentioned that. But do you even _want_ to kill me?"

"No. It is what I was ordered to do."

"What would happen if you didn't kill me? I mean, someone has to get past you, right?"

"No," it repeated and clipped my shoulder hard, sending me sprawling on the ground. I got a good rock-burn on the palm of my left hand for it.

The good news, I was closer to the quarter staff. The less good news, it wasn't actually a quarter staff. It was a long, slender bone. It was a freaking five-foot femur. What the hell had gotten in here that was that big and didn't beat this thing? 

Gulp.

"But – what happens to you if someone beats you?" I asked Muddy.

"It has never happened, mortal." Muddy came toward me. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the giant chicken bone (seriously, this thing had to have belonged to a giant bird). I turned, swinging the bone like a club, and connected with the upper arm of the mud creature with a satisfying crack.

Muddy gurgled in pain.

I moved out of its immediate reach while it recovered. "Hey, can I ask you something?" I took a couple more steps. "What's your name? I've been calling you 'Muddy', but that seems rude."

It turned to look at me and I swear I saw it frown from its clumpy forehead to its slimy chin. "My name?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'm Harry. Who are you?"

The thing's gloppy shoulders sagged. "She has taken my name from me," it said.

"How the hell did she do that? It's yours."

"I do not know. I have had no name since I was imprisoned." It seemed to recover itself then and moved toward me again.

"Okay, so what if I give you a new name?" I kept the bone at the ready as I stepped to my left.

"What name would you give me, human?"

I shrugged. "How about Sam?" I couldn't tell if it was a male or female mud creature, so I picked a neutral name. No sense being an asshole when you're trying not to die.

"That is a modern name, human."

"Yeah, well, we are in modern times. If you'd rather be Hortense, I'm fine with that too."

"No, mortal Harry. I like Sam."

"Great. So, we can sit down and have tea now, yeah?"

"No, Harry. We must fight."

I sighed. "Come on! We just chatted. I gave you a name. We're friends now, Sam. Friends don't fight."

"I am bound by honor."

Shit.

Wait. "And a prison sentence. Though, I'm confused why your prison sentence for killing another being is to be down here killing more beings."

"It is what I was ordered to do."

"Right. I get that. But how does that benefit Hikari if she wants slaves in her court?"

A disembodied voice spoke from the general direction of Sam the mud monster. "You are too smart for your own good, wizard. Proceed to the final Trial."

Son of a bitch. I hate these tests.

"You're a piece of work, lady," I said to Hikari – wherever she was.

The final Trial. Number eight. How annoying was this going to be?

I'd left the bone behind in Trial seven. Maybe I should have brought it with me.

I stepped into what appeared to be a large, empty, stone lecture hall. I've had nightmares that started like this. Only I was naked too. Please don't ask me to give a lecture on particle physics.

"Mortal," a voice boomed, "you must answer each of these questions to proceed."

Yup, just like my nightmares.

"Are you a wizard?"

Seriously? "Yes, I am a wizard," I answered.

"Who is your creator?"

"I assume you mean my parents, so Malcolm and Margaret." Was that really a question? This was weird.

"No. Your creator, mortal wizard."

Creator? I'm not particularly religious, so it seemed wrong to bring 'God' into this. Did the voice mean my teacher? The one who trained me to be a wizard?

"My teacher was Justin." And maybe, in some sick and twisted way, he did 'create' parts of who I am today. Thanks for that, you bastard.

"The final question –" apparently that teacher thing was right "- wizard. What is your Name?" And it gave emphasis to indicate it meant 'Name' and not just 'name'.

I laughed. I couldn't help it. No one skilled in magic would ever openly and automatically answer that question. "You're kidding, right?" I snapped. It was hard not to growl more openly now that the bruises I'd endured from the mud creature were starting to scream at me. And the gash from the sixth Trial had reopened and was spilling blood down my arm with a steady throb. Dammit.

"What is your Name, wizard?"

"What's yours?" I countered. Hey, I've seen _Monty Python_. It was worth a shot.

The voice was silent for a long time. Then there was a loud scraping sound. I planted my feet, ready for defense or running like hell.

Then a large slab of the wall shuddered and began moving upward. I'm paranoid enough that I thought it might be a trap. But I'm not so dense that I didn't turn and start in that direction.

I started off walking, then noticed the slab beginning to descend. Dammit. It was a good ten yards to the door. I have long legs, so I picked up the pace to a healthy jog.

The damned slab started descending _faster_! I still had several feet to cover and I was losing space in the opening. I chanced it. I dove toward the door.

My chest hit the ground like running hard into a wall. It hurt. But not as much as more manly bits slamming into the stone floor. The movies leave that part out. Or Indy wears a cup.

I slid across the last few feet with my eyes closed and waited for the horrid pain of a giant section of rock wall crushing my legs. When I finally heard the stone settled onto the floor, I peeled my eyes open and twisted to look at my legs. Not crushed by the slab. Score one for Team Harry.

"Wizard!" a voice boomed. It felt like it came from everywhere at once. It hurt my whole aching body.

"What?" I snarled back. It was hard not to wince, when even that made my head hurt.

"You have survived all of my Trials." That's when I realized the voice belonged to Hikari. "Only one other has ever done that."

"Who was that? Maybe we should team up."

The form of Hikari shimmered into existence in front of me as I pushed to my knees on my way to my feet. "It was another wizard. Merlin," she said.

"Great. Now the Merlin can have something else to dislike me for," I grumbled, mostly to myself.

"No, wizard. Not the Merlin you know now. But Merlin. Of many years ago. Much before your time."

 _That_ Merlin? King Arthur's Merlin? "Really?" I might have to keep that under wraps. Considering I'd never heard of this cave of Trials before, it's not something many people talk about. Though, if Merlin is the only other person to ever get through, you'd think it would be a legend or something.

I got my head back in the game and said, "Sure, that Merlin. So, anyway, where's the scythe? I passed your test." I was working on a deadline here and had no idea how long I'd actually been gone.

"You have indeed, wizard. Through this door," she waved to her left, "Tomo will have it for you as promised. Give my regards to the Angel."

"Hikari," I said and gave a polite bow, "I thank you for your hospitality and for honoring your word." What can I say, I do have manners.

I saw her smile at me before I turned to leave. Tomo was, indeed, waiting with the scythe. "Dresden, you are formidable, but perhaps you should not return here again," he rasped at me.

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied. I accepted the scythe and stepped out of the cave.

I expected bright daylight or late afternoon, but it was nearing sundown. I couldn't tell if it was the same day or the following or two weeks later. I could've been in some other dimension, for all I'd known where I was. And I still had to walk back to my damned car.

* * *

A simple tracking spell using a chip of paint from the Beetle got me back to my car. As I drove back into the city, I passed a bank with a time and date display. I had about an hour to get out to where I was supposed to meet Grim. On the other side of the city. And a ten minute hike into the woods.

I was going to be late.

Even if I could use a cell phone, I doubted the Grim Reaper did. So, I gunned the engine on the Beetle and took every shortcut I knew to cut through to the other side of Chicago.

I parked the car, snatched up the scythe and all but ran to the same clearing where I'd met him before. I slowed to a long lope as I got close so I could catch my breath a little. I arrived at the clearing right on time and I still had to wait several minutes for Grim to show.

He melted out of the shadows like before, only now the hourglass showed the sand almost fully poured into the lower globe. That still gave me a shiver. Even if it wasn't for me. It was for someone.

"Mage," he said and dismounted the stag, "you have located my property." I couldn't tell for sure, but I think the bastard was smiling. Did he think I couldn't do it, or was he incredibly confident that I would? I was having a hard time determining if I should have been offended or not.

"I have. Though, a head's up about those Trials would have been nice."

He laughed at me. "That would have violated the rules."

Outside help. "I guess. Though, it was nice of you to vouch for me so I didn't have to trade my freedom for your scythe," I said. I handed the scythe over to him. It was a powerful tool, full of more responsibility than I'd like to carry.

"I did not vouch for you, wizard."

That was a surprise. Who else knew I was there? "Then who did?"

"This I do not know. But I would advise you to be guarded as they may come to collect."

"Yeah, I figured that." But I had to ask.

"Thank you for your service, Mr. Dresden. I have remitted payment to your bank with a considerable bonus for your trouble."

"Thanks. Prompt payment is always appreciated. Was there anything else I could do for you before we go our separate ways?"

Grim mounted his stag, just as smoothly now carrying his scythe as he had without it. "No, mage. Our business is concluded. Though, should I require your particular services again, may I contact you?"

"Of course," I replied with a bow of my head. "Though, one more thing. You said that if you could do this yourself, you wouldn't need a wizard. But, I didn't use any magic at all to get through Hikari's Trials. So, why a wizard?"

I swear I saw the bastard grinning again. That grin you get from people when you're a kid and they all think you're too young to know something. "You did use your magic, Dresden. Even if you do not yet realize it," he said.

"That doesn't make any damned sense. How can I use my magic without realizing it?"

"One day, you will know," he said cryptically. Then he nodded once to me, and melted into the shadows again.

On the way back to my car, I found myself pondering whether or not I wanted to know how far off the date of my death was. (And just what the hell Grim had meant about that magic thing.) By the time I reached the Beetle – and realized that I'd left the lights on – I decided it was better not to know when I might die.

I gathered my staff and blasting rod from the car, made sure the lights were actually off, and locked it up. Then I started the long walk back to semi-civilization so I could get some decent medical supplies and call my mechanic.


End file.
